Search - The Brotherhood of Satan on DVD

Truly creepy chiller

carolyn5000 | 01/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brotherhood is a lesser known atmospheric chiller of the early 1970s. A family becomes stranded in a small town populated by some decidedly different inhabitants. Similarly themed to "Race With The Devil" sort of. What really makes this film work is the excellent cinematagraphy and attention to detail plus a dynamite ending. Sure, the cult almost seems laughable at times but by the end, you won't find them so amusing. Also if you like this movie try to dig up the fabulous and out of print Australian gem "Allison's Birthday" with similar themes."

"Satan, I have nothing which is not thine."

Dymon Enlow | 10/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A secret coven of wrinkly senior citizen witches (lead by the great Strother Martin) cast a spell on the small town of Woodley preventing anybody from getting in or leaving. The purpose of this entrapment isn't cause the old folks are lonely and want somebody to talk to No! they want the children so they can take over their bodies and be young again. Not a bad idea.

The sheriff (played by Peckinpah favorite L. Q. Jones) is getting sick and tired of being stuck in this smelly ol town so him and his posse start investigating where all the kids have disappeared to. Will they find them before it's too late?

Very interesting story, but the direction by veteran TV director Bernard McEveety comes off kinda stale, almost like a made for TV movie. I did get the creeps a few times (especially at the doll scene - yikes!), but I think that the lack of violence and the improper director kept THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN from reaching its full potential. Still very much worth watching.

The picture on the DVD is good, but the extras are completely nonexistent. A short about the career of Strother Martin or L. Q. Jones would have been nice.

D: Bernard McEveety ("Misfits of Science", "Knight Rider")

Doc Duncan - Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke, The Wild Bunch)
Sheriff - L. Q. Jones (Casino, The Wild Bunch)
Tobey - Alvy Moore ("Green Acres", A Boy and His Dog)
"

Underated Horror Gem!

KrazyGreque | Astoria, New York United States | 12/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When a couple and child are stranded in a small desert town, they find the place suddenly plagued by rabid-fire deaths and the mysterious disappearance of the local children...a coven of senior citizen satanists plotting to use the children as the young bodies for their life of renewed service to the lord of darkness. Quite good, with an intriguing premise carried out well. Nice, creepy climax.
"

This Coven Of Witches Wants To Live Forever

J. B. Hoyos | Chesapeake, VA | 02/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Brotherhood of Satan" reminded me of why I enjoy watching horror movies from the seventies. This strange outing has a suspenseful, creepy plot without the gratuitous gore, foul language and sex that plagues today's theatres. Think "Village of the Damned" meets "Rosemary's Baby." Instead of aliens, it is a coven of Satan worshippers that are terrorizing a small, southwestern town. For three days, it has been isolated from the rest of the world. No one has been able to get in or out. It's like an episode of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone." Entire families are being murdered and their children whisked away to a secret location. The Satanists use war toys, dolls, and other seemingly harmless objects to slaughter parents before luring their children away for their own hellish purposes. One couple, with their little girl, manages to enter the town. Will they be able to stop the Satan worshippers' diabolical scheme before it is too late?

Strother Martin gives a realistic, disturbing performance as the evil, two-faced Doc Duncan. (He also played a mad professor in the successful science fiction horror film "Sssssss"; he was transforming his young lab assistants into cobras.) The ending is wonderfully downbeat and left open for the imagination - the type of ending that will haunt and chill you long after the credits have finished.

If you like occult classics such as "Rosemary's Baby," "Race with the Devil," and "The Devil's Rain," then you will want to add "The Brotherhood of Satan" to your collection. It is highly recommended for fans of classic horror. Also, if you enjoyed the modern "Skeleton Key," starring Kate Hudson and Gena Rowlands, you will want to see "The Brotherhood of Satan." Both films involve body snatching through witchcraft.

It is a shame that, at the time of this writing, "The Brotherhood of Satan" is no longer in print. Perhaps Sony will reissue it in a two-disc collector's edition with commentary.
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